The use of water to suppress or extinguish fires is a concept as old as fire itself. And, quite probably as long as it has inhabited dwellings, mankind has long searched for the best way to effect the distribution of water within dwellings where the risk of death and destruction from fire is ever present. For many years, fire suppression systems which are installed in buildings have been comprised of a number of water supply lines installed above a suspended ceiling grid, the same type of grid which normally conceals other building utilities such as heating and cooling ducts, electrical supply lines and lighting fixtures, among other things. The water supply lines, in turn, are functionally adapted to supply water to sprinkler heads which are actuated by heat sensing means. This is, without question, old art.
In the experience and observations of the inventor of the present invention, the modern day suspended ceiling assembly typically consists of an array of standard 2' by 2' acoustically dampening ceiling tiles. Occasionally, the ceiling tiles are configured in a 2' by 4' tile array. Such tiles, of either the 2' by 2' or the 2' by 4' configuration, may be further constructed to give the appearance of even smaller tile configurations. That is, the 2' by 2' tiles may be sculpted to appear as though much smaller, e.g. 1' by 1' or even 6" by 6" or 3" by 3", tiles are being used. It is generally recognized that the smaller the dimension of the individual tiles, including an "apparent" smaller dimension of a larger tile which seems to be made of many smaller tiles, results in a more elegant aesthetic appearance and one which is sought after by building owners and architects alike. Another reality of modern building design is the fact that building owners and architects often specify that sprinkler heads be located on a "center of tile" basis. That is, the exact vertical centerline of the sprinkler head must protrude literally through the lengthwise and widthwise center of a given standard tile. Or, in the case of sculpted tiles, the exact vertical centerline of the sprinkler head protrudes through that part of the tile at which the center of a smaller dimensioned tile portion lies. The theory is that this "center of tile" appearance is more aesthetically pleasing and acceptable to the eye.
In the experience of this inventor, the "center of tile" requirement always increases installation costs and causes great problems for the installers of the concealed fire suppression system. One principal problem is that the "as built" placement of sprinkler heads within the ceiling array most often misses the exact "center of tile"--a situation which requires the installer of the fire suppression system to shut down and drain the fire suppression system in order to adjust the connecting supply pipes by changing their angle relative to the ceiling grid, by cutting the pipes to shorten them or by altogether removing, recutting and then reattaching them because the pipe was too short in the first instance. This is an extremely labor-intensive activity which results in higher costs and leaves an owner's property unprotected from fire while exact "center of tile" installation is pursued.